Motivate Disgruntled Employees

No one likes to manage unhappy employees. They can be tough to motivate and resistant to change. But giving up isn’t the solution either. Here are three counterintuitive ways to bring your most disillusioned back into the fold:

Try harder to inspire. Double down on your efforts. Keep the conversation positive. Set expectations high so they’ll become more invested.

Develop them. Don’t leave the underachievers out when distributing stretch assignments. Career development should not focus only on high potentials.

Take them to lunch. Managers spend more time with people they like, but you may make your unhappy employees feel excluded. Make an effort to spread your attention around.